Somewhere I Belong
by RAWRiscaredU
Summary: AU: In a society where nekos are slaves to their Master, life is hard, However, life on the streets is even harder. Toshiro is a stray, running from a horrible past and because of it, he trusts no one. Who knows what life has in store for him?
1. Chapter 1: Meet the Cat!

A long time ago in an alternative universe, the world was inhabited by creatures called Hybrids that possess an unnatural beauty. The Hybrids looks like humans with animal traits, such as ears and tails, even a part of their personality and depending on which traits the Hybrids have, they are spilt into different races. For example, a Hybrid with traits of what you Earthlings call a dog are called an Inu, a Kitsune is one with traits of a fox, and so on. It's also said that these beautiful creatures' saliva has healing abilities and that they wield powers so strong that they can tame fire, bend the weather or heal the most lethal wounds to the point that they are almost invincible.

Despite the differences between the races, the Hybrids lived in harmony with each other and with the nature around them. Even if they are as different as cats and dogs(pun definitely intended), there wasn't any wars or major conflicts between them and their society wasn't split as it is in you Earthling's society, where each nation's population is keeping only to itself. It was quite the opposite actually, with what you may call bitter enemies living together in the same community.

This peace was held for hundred thousands of years, but it all changed when the humans arrived...

On the other side of the big ocean, it's name long forgotten, was land where no Hybrid had set foot before and even if they wanted to, they had no means to do so (as they didn't want to cut down their friends, the trees). There was stories of horrible beasts that tortured, slaughtered and raped everything that moved too much. What the Hybrids didn't know that there as a grain of fact in the stories, as they were soon to witness.

The humans came in big ships that had cost hundreds of trees their lives and their corpses bent into unnatural shapes and sculptures. The humans, as they presented themselves as, immediately fell in love with the beautiful landscape that was well cared for and wanted to claim it for their own and they also wanted these likewise beautiful but inferior creatures that roamed the land as their pets. The Hybrids, of course, didn't want the humans to soil their land and its inhabitants and politely told the humans so. However the humans didn't want to listen with that ear and started claiming the land by force. The Hybrids fought tooth and nail to keep their territory, but it was futile. Forests were burned or chopped down, communities leveled to the ground and the Hybrids were slaughtered. Everything the stories said about the humans to calm the adventurous ones from exploring was true.

After a hundred years of slaughter, torture and wars so bloody, your World Wars on Earth are considered minor scuffles over nothing, the humans had successfully claimed the new land as their own, and these hundred years are called _The Dark Century_. The losses were great on both sides, but the aftermath of the Dark Century was worse for the Hybrids. From the hundreds of races were now only one left; the Nekos (cat-hybrid). The Nekos were forced into slavery and treated as trash, and their situation haven't changed since then.

Today, Nekos who don't have an owner are called _unclaimed Nekos_ and they can be found in so called _Dangais_, where the mature Nekos are kept, either in wait of a Master or for breeding. The Konekos (Neko kitten or Neko child) are separated from their parents as soon as they are born, because the parents are required to serve their master and don't have time to raise a Koneko. The Konekos are put in a Dangai, where they are raised by Nekos (since only a Neko can raise a Koneko) till they have reached maturity, at the age of ten, and can be put up for "adoption".

Owned Nekos are still treated horribly as their Master(s) can do whatever they want with their property and the Neko is forced to follow their Masters wish. However, to prevent the Nekos from becoming extinct, a few laws was established. For example**: **_**Neko Rights §12**__: A human who have caused a Neko's death, intentional or not, is to be imprisoned for 2 years and to fine the worth of one kilogram of gold. _and_, __**Neko rights §23**__: Under any circumstances are a Neko to fight another Neko, especially not for the illegal Neko Incitement. _However, the law doesn't stop the Masters from torturing their Nekos.

However, not all Nekos lives in a Dangai or has a Master, as some lives on the streets. By living on the street the Neko can decide upon their own life, but for that freedom the Neko must pay with their life since life on the street is hard and starvation, illness and coldness are common demises. But is the Neko survives that, then there is another problem: the law _**Human Responsibilities §145**__: Any human who sees a Ryoka (stray Neko) is required to catch it and turn it in to the closest Dangai. Those who turns a stray in will be rewarded. _This means that there are several bounty hunters, called Hollows, that hunts Nekos for the reward.

* * *

It in such a situation we find our main character.

* * *

"THERE IT IS! DON'T LET IT ESCAPE!"

Toshiro cursed colorfully under his breath as he starts to zigzag more intently through the alleys to lose the hunters that have been chasing him for an hour or two already with no indication of stopping anytime soon. Damn, he need to shake them as soon as possible since he is losing quite a lot of blood from wounds on his arms, legs and torso, and add the fact that he haven't eaten for about three days and you know that the situation isn't in his favor. With a strategy in his head, Toshiro suddenly turns around and start retracing his steps a few meters before he darts into another alley, jumps agilely over a high fence and run around a few corners before he reaches an abounded house. After making sure the coast is clear, he darts inside and closes the door behind him. _"Finally lost them", _Toshiro thought as allows himself to catch his breath before he walks to a cupboard to retrieve a first aid kit but as he opens it, he curses again when he realize that the kit is empty.

_"Damn. I guess I have no choice but to go __**there**__ to get my wounds cleaned up", _he thought as he threw the now useless kit away and made his way out again, careful not to be seen.

* * *

He arrives at an traditional Japanese house where there are two human preteens, a black haired girl and a red haired boy, bickering in the front yard. They don't even notice him as Toshiro slips past them and into the house. Well inside, he sneaks into the dining room and sees a human male lying on the table snoozing. Just as he is about to poke him awake, a voice speaks up from behind him.

"I knew you would come by eventually. What took you so long?" the seemingly male voice said.

"The hunters have chased me endlessly this week and wouldn't leave me alone. Is that answer to your satisfaction, Yoruichi?" he counters back as he turn around to face the black cat who have a smirk on its face.

"Yes, it is", the cat known as Yoruichi said before a puff of smoke surrounds the cat and in its stead stands a woman with dark skin, orange shirt, black pants and her long purple hair that is pulled into a high ponytail. But what is spectacular about this woman is not her generous bosom nor the playful smirk on her lips and the amusement in her yellow eyes, but the cat like ears on top of her head and the long swishing tail behind her that reviles this woman to be a Neko. Once she is done with the transformation, she removes the dirty ratty hat that sits on his head and ruffles his white hair and strokes his cat ears before she gathers Toshiro's smaller frame into a hug before she starts greeting him by sniffing, stroking cheeks together and purring, with him doing the same.

"My goodness Shiro, you stink!" she suddenly exclaims. "When was the last time you had a bath?!"

Toshiro just shrugs, not bothering to correct the nickname, since she won't listen anyways. Yoruichi releases him from the hug and stands up straight with a serious and commanding look on her face.

"You, young man, have a shower with your name on it and right after that, we will take a look at your wounds. Do you understand!?" Yoruichi ordered pseudo-seriously and pokes him on the chest.

"Yes, ma'am!" Toshiro answered with a mock salute and marched towards the bathroom.

* * *

Toshiro are walking back to the dining room after a nice shower clad in comfortable pants and a T-shirt Yoruichi had found somewhere for him some time ago to use in situations as this. He is still drying his hair as he plops down on one of the cushions around the table next to Yoruichi, who has a first aid kit ready on the table, as well as a meal of food. As the delicious aroma of warm food hits his nose, he drops the towel on the ground as he almost starts to drool at the thought that the food was actually _for him_. With a quick thanks, we starts to wolf down the food, as the hunger of not eating for a while makes itself known. A chuckle sounds from the doorway.

"Oh my. Someone is certainly hungry today", said Urahara while he fans himself with his fan to hide the amused smile at the sight of the young Neko in front of him, who totally ignores him in favor of concentrating on the food while his white fluffy tail swishes back and forth in happiness.

Only when the food is gone and Toshiro is full does he greet Urahara by thanking him for the food and making an offhanded comment about age catching up, since Urahara was asleep just a few moments ago.

"Well now that you are clean and have a full stomach, let's have a look at those wounds now, shall we?", Yoruichi asks after a few minutes of talking. Toshiro only nods as he removes the shirt and turns towards the female, who has the disinfectant ready.

"My, my , you only gets thinner and thinner every time I see you. Are you sure that you don't want to move in here and live as a freeloader, Shiro?" Yoruichi clicks her tongue in displeasure at the sight of his chest, where you can clearly see the ribs sticking out.

"I'm positive, and you know the reason why I refuse", Toshiro simply said as he turned his eyes away from her sad look and Urahara's knowing one.

"But if you ever change your mind, the offer is still open and even if you start to live somewhere else, remember that you are always welcome here," she reassured while bandaging the last wound.

"I know," he nodded and quickly squeezed her hand before standing up.

"Do you really have to leave so early? You can stay the night, you know?" Yoruichi pouted and gave Toshiro kitty eyes.

"I'm sorry Yoruichi, but thanks for the offer," Toshiro answered and turned to Urahara.

"Tessai should have cleaned up and dried your clothes by now," Urahara simply said as said man walked into the room with the now clean clothes and gave them to Toshiro, who nodded in thanks.

"Thank you again for everything. I don't know what I would have done without you", Toshiro said formally while bowing to the three who just waved it away with a "it's nothing".

"Please be careful, Toshiro and take care of yourself", Yoruichi said seriously, for once didn't use her nickname for him, and enveloped him in another hug. Toshiro simply squeezed her back and stoked her behind one of her ears a few times before pulling away.

"I know, and thanks again. Bye Yoruichi, Urahara, Tessai", he said softly before nodding to each mentioned person before retreating to another room to change before going back to the streets.

"I really hopes he will be ok. I worry so much for him when he is away like this", Yoruichi said sadly and Urahara enveloped her in a hug.

"He'll be fine, Yoruichi. He's not the same scared kitten we found two years ago, who was afraid of his own shadow", Urahara reassured her but he couldn't help but feel the same way. Because, after all, no one could know what will happen in the future.

* * *

_To be continued..._

* * *

_And here is the first chapter of 'Somewhere I Belong'._

_The wonderful cover is made by MoonPrincessAya on deviantArt and I have her permission to use it._

_I apologize for the eventual OOC-ness of the characters, especially Toshiro. But since this is a major AU, I think it's acceptable._

_Also, English is not my first laguage, so there my be some grammatical wrongdoings._

_Quick vocabulary, in case you missed something:_

_**Hybrid: **a species that looks half human and half animal. They possess supernatural power._

_**Neko: **a kind of hybrid that is half human, half cat (name means cat in Japanese)  
**Koneko **is a Neko-child (kitten in Jap.)_

_**Dangai: **a center where Nekos and Konekos are kept and raised until they are purchased by a Master._

_**Neko Incitement: **like cockfighting or dog fighting, but with Nekos. I think the word is incitement..._

_**Ryoka: **a stray Neko, a Neko who doesn't have a Master and is living on the streets._

_**Hollow: **a bounty hunter who hunts Ryokas._

___Thank you for reading and if you have questions/opinions, feel free to review and/or PM me! Ideas are also welcome! :)_


	2. Chapter 2: Ashcat, meet Snowcat!

It has been a month since Toshiro last visited _Urahara Shoten_ and nothing in particular has happened. It has almost been too calm; No hollows, more lax security in stores and so on. It has been so calm that you almost think something is going on.

Toshiro is currently walking the streets, bored out of his mind with nothing to do. He has already eaten, so there is no need to search for food. He considers going to visit Yoruichi and Urahara again but decides against it, he doesn't want them to think that he wants to stay there, after all. He even tried to talk to some of the other strays, who are all normal cats, but they don't want to talk to him. Maybe he can go explore the city or go bother someone? Nah, already done that. Toshiro sighed; he even thought that a Hollow or two hunting him will suffice as entertainment, even if it's suicidal.

Suddenly, the wind takes hold of his hat and blows it off his head and his ears are uncovered for the world to see. Toshiro's eyes widen and he starts to franticly grab it. _"Shit! Get back here, you stupid hat!",_he thinks as he quickly recovers his hat and put it back onto his head, praying to any god listening that no one saw. Unfortunately, the damage was already done.

"A stray?! Quick, catch it!" "Move out of my way, it's my reward!" "Someone call the Hollows!"

_"Be careful what you wish for, they said. They sure as hell were right"_, Toshiro thinks angrily as he turns tail (pun intended) and runs as fast as his legs can carry him away from the raging horde of greedy humans with currency marks in their eyes. He continues to turn, run, jump, dodge and roll for several hours but the humans, now backed-up by some armed Hollows, are still hot on his trail and he can't shake them. Not only that but they have managed to wound him and the edges of his vision is blurring from blood loss and exhaustion. He also finds it's harder to run and his movements are becoming more sluggish.

_"Damn it! I need to shake them very fast or else I'll be caught. But how!?_," Toshiro thinks and start to look around for an escape route franticly. _"Come on, something must work."_ He looks into an alley full of trash and an idea springs into his mind. _"It's my only chance, but what other choice do I have? I can't go much further."_

He darts into the alley and quickly disappears from sight. A few seconds later, the Hollows comes rushing straight through and when they have passed, a white cat looks out from his hideout. _"Heh, it worked. It seriously worked. I didn't think it would", _Toshiro the cat thinks smugly and starts to slowly walk away to treat his wound in peace. However, he doesn't get very far before the ground tilted and the world turned black.

* * *

To say that Matsumoto Rangiku is not happy is the understatement of the year. First of all, she had, once again, gotten nagged at for being late at work and then blamed for something that happened before she got there. After that her slimy boss tried once again to seduce her with his lame comments that don't even work in crappy B-class movies, and his seriously ugly looks (the face looks so horrible that you don't know if you should laugh or cry, and he also has his toupee on backwards) doesn't help either. Secondly, Shuuhei had once again tried to invite her to go out with him. Yes, he is handsome and charming but she doesn't feel that way towards him. And thirdly, when she finally arrived home from work all moody and tired, she found out that she had no food at home. Which means she have to go grocery shopping. When she arrived at the closest store, it was of course closed and she was forced to walk almost across the whole town to get to the next closest store. Oh, and did I mention it was raining heavily and she had no umbrella? The thin jacket and the work uniform don't help all that well against water and cold, either…

As Rangiku trudges through the heavy downpour on her way home, muttering darkly under her breath the whole way, she seriously considers looking for shelter in one of the shady looking alleys. She walks past an alley filled with trash and then suddenly backtracks when something catches her eye. In between two garbage cans, she finds a small cat whose fur is whit under all the dirt, grime and blood, for the cat is heavily wounded and barely breathes, Rangiku finds out when investigating.

"You poor thing! Who could have done this to you?" Rangiku says as she kneels beside the small cat. "But a better question is what I'm going to do with you? I can't just leave you here…" She trails off as she looks around the alley, trying think of something to do but the heavily soaked cardboard boxes and various rags don't have an answer.

"Oh, well. Goodbye, favorite shirt", Rangiku says as she takes of her jacket and the cardigan under it and wraps the soft knitted shirt around the cat. After she shrugs on her soaked jacket, she lifts the bundle up and start to jog towards her house. All the way hoping she is not too late.

* * *

Well at her apartment, Rangiku rushes inside and almost throws the shivering cat on the couch as she runs to retrieve some blankets and towels. With the bundle in hand, she jogs back to the couch, picks the cat up before heading into the bathroom. There, Rangiku he rinses the worst dirt and grime off the cat, as she doesn't dare use any soap on the wounds, and when the cat is relatively clean she gently dries it off. Rangiku then digs after the disinfectant in a drawer and gently start to clean the wounds.

* * *

After wrapping the cat's stomach and back in a bandage, as most of the more serious wounds are located, Rangiku gently places the now off-white cat, that she found out is male, in a nest made out of blankets and towels and covers it up before she heads off to take a warm shower herself.

When she is clean and warm again, she walks into the kitchen to place a bowl of water on the ground for the cat and to put the forgotten groceries into the fridge. _"Tomorrow I have to buy some real cat food and cat appliances if I'm going to nurse the cat back to health. Also a trip to the vet wouldn't hurt," _she thinks and fondly watches the cat sleep in the bundle. A yawn escapes her mouth and she thinks: _"But that will have to wait until tomorrow", _before heading off to bed. _"Thank goodness it's Friday today. It means I have plenty of time to get the cat stuff from the store and to greet the cat properly tomorrow."_

* * *

_To be continued..._

* * *

_Here's chapter 2! I hope you like it._

_I apologize for the eventual OOC-ness of the characters, especially Toshiro. But since this is a major AU, I think it's acceptable._

_Also, English is not my first laguage, so there my be some grammatical wrongdoings._

_Quick vocabulary, in case you missed something:_

_**Hybrid: **a species that looks half human and half animal. They possess supernatural power._

_**Neko: **a kind of hybrid that is half human, half cat (name means cat in Japanese)_

_**Koneko **is a Neko-child (kitten in Jap.)_

_**Dangai: **a center where Nekos and Konekos are kept and raised until they are purchased by a Master._

_**Neko Incitement: **like cockfighting or dog fighting, but with Nekos. I think the word is incitement..._

_**Ryoka: **a stray Neko, a Neko who doesn't have a Master and is living on the streets._

_**Hollow: **a bounty hunter who hunts Ryokas._

___Thank you for reading and if you have questions/opinions, feel free to review and/or PM me! Ideas are also welcome! :)_


	3. Chapter 3: The first day as house cat!

When Rangiku wakes up the next morning, the cat is still laying unconscious on the couch where she left him last night. The wounds have also stopped bleeding, which is very good.

"Yosh, everything is good", Rangiku says. "After some work I'll go and pick up some things for you."

Said and done, after she made herself some breakfast, she went into her study to complete some paper work that was due on Monday. When she is done, she gets up and head into the kitchen to grab something quick for lunch. After that she walks to the closest pet store, where she immediately gets hypnotized by all the cute kittens and puppies up for sale but after fawning over their clumsy movements she is finally able to remember her mission.

"_Right, the cat-stuff, how could I forget?! Focus, Rangiku! You have a wounded and unconscious cat at home",_ she thinks sternly to herself as she slaps her cheeks and start looking for the things she needs. _"The litter box, check. Sand for the litter, check. Scratching post, check. Brush and mild shampoo, double check. Ooh, look at the cute collars! No, Rangiku don't! I don't think the cat will appreciate one at the moment", _she thinks as she hauls everything to the cashier. _"Right, that was it. Now to the next problem: How the hell am I going to get everything home?!"_

* * *

_Everything is black. Pitch black. But not frightening so, more cozy and comfortable. But where is 'here' exactly? No, it doesn't matter; it's too warm and safe here to bother about that right now. After a while of mindless floating in this calm nothingness, images starts to appear; frightening and uncomfortable ones. A rundown house that, from what the sign says, must be a Dangai. A smiling man with brown hair and glasses over cold eyes. A white and impersonal room with only a white bed. Another room with various torture instruments and blood on the walls. _

_Then the emotions and feelings connected to the images overwhelm me; Loneliness. Curiosity. Apprehension. Fear. And pain, so much pain! It burns my body, running up the back and down the arms, my face, my hands, __**EVERYWHERE!**_

* * *

Toshiro jolts up from the couch and promptly falls back down as his body protests on his harsh movements. _"Thank goodness it was only a nightmare. But why does it still hurt?"_ Toshiro thinks as he is trying to get his breathing back to normal. He looks down on his furry body and sees a bandage. Yesterday's events come back to mind: _"Right. Hollows chased me, I managed to escape by turning into this form and then… I fainted? Yeah, I think so. But who treated my wounds and where the hell am I?!"_ Toshiro looks around; trying to recognize this strange place he has ended up in.

Just as he is about to investigate this unknown territory, the front door opens and a woman with a lot of luggage walks in and throws the bags down on the floor as she kicks the door shut. She stretches out the kinks in her back and sighs.

"Finally back! And the bags are so heavy too~", she whines and head towards the kitchen. However, she stops in her tracks when she sees something white and teal in the corner of her eye and turns around to see what it is.

"You're awake! Good, I was worried that you wouldn't survive the night with those nasty wounds. Oh, and you must be hungry! I'll prepare some food for you", she says excitedly and walks back to the enormous pile of bags and digs out a bowl and a packet of cat food.

"Here you go! Hope it tastes good", she says cheerfully as she pour the food into the bowl and put it on the floor next to the couch, and then steps back to watch him expectably. But Toshiro stays where he is, just staring at her with his judging teal eyes.

"_Is she expecting me to trust her blindly? How stupid can she be?" _Toshiro thinks and narrows his eyes. _"Yes, I am hungry, but not that desperate. This innocent act can turn around in an instant. For all I know, she can be just like __**him**__. I should definitely not show her my other form before I'm totally sure she isn't like that. Or that she will turn me in."_

The woman looks at his tense body and suspicious eyes, not getting the hint. When she does, you can almost see a light bulb appear above her head as she realizes something and a slightly embarrassed look crosses her face.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! You probably don't trust humans yet. Silly me!" she says as she scratches the back for her neck nervously. "Hm, but what if we do it like this instead?"

She disappears to who-knows-where and comes back with a towel in hand and put it on the edge of the couch, then picks the bowl of food up and places it on the towel. She then retrieves the water bowl from the kitchen and put it next to the other bowl and retreats into the kitchen to get herself some food and to give him some privacy.

"_Hm, she is smarter than she looks", _Toshiro thinks.

When he is hundred percent sure that she isn't coming back, he slowly stands up and carefully edges towards the bowls, casting suspicious looks towards the kitchen with every step.

When he is by the bowls, he sniffs the food carefully. _"I can't smell any poison or other drugs in here. And the food itself smells pretty decent", _he thinks before poking the food with a paw. When it doesn't move or attack him, he takes a tentative bite and chews. The food passes the quality test and he starts to dig in, as he hadn't eaten since yesterday. The same procedure is done on the water before he starts to drink it too.

When all the food is gone, Toshiro sits down and licks his lips, savoring the wonderful taste. He considers grooming himself but decides not to since he is still filthy but before he can continue the thought of why he isn't as filthy as he was before, the woman comes back into the room. He flinches when she flops herself ungracefully down on the other end of the sofa and lets out a deep sigh.

"Man, what a horrible week. Thank goodness it's Saturday today", she sighs and closes her eyes tiredly.

Toshiro watches her every move with suspicion and, dare he say it, curiosity. This woman, she is not like the other humans he has met. For one, she hasn't tried to cuddle him yet, or put a collar on him and proclaim him their pet, or hit him. Not yet at least. But she seems like a person who don't do such things.

Toshiro narrows his eyes on her as he watches her reach for the controller and turn on the TV. _" She hasn't given me any hints of what she wants from me, so I need to watch what I'm doing around her and no matter what happens, I won't let my guard down."_

* * *

They sit in silence for a while, watching TV, just getting used to the other's presence. The woman hasn't tried to talk to him yet, kept her distance and making no sudden movements (as she has already scared him half to death when she suddenly sneezed). And for her effort, Toshiro is grateful. This woman understands something that most humans doesn't; that he needs to _trust _before acting all unicorns and rainbows.

The show on the TV ends and a new one starts. As the intro plays, she turns towards him and speaks in a calm and soft voice:

"Come to think of it, I haven't introduced myself to you, have I?"

A small shake of his head is her answer.

" Well, I'm Rangiku. Matsumoto Rangiku. Pleased to meet you, Mr. Cat."

Toshiro just nods his head as if saying _'likewise'_ and Rangiku smiles.

"I haven't really had the opportunity to be close to animals and pets, but you seem nice enough. Nice, well-mannered and smart. I think we can become good friends, don't you think?"

A pointed stare.

"Well, when you trust me, that is", she chuckles. "Seems like I have to prove myself to you."

But then she became serious: "But for what it's worth, I promise-, no, guarantee you, that I won't harm you in any way, nor let you come to harm."

The determinated look in her eyes says it all; she meant every word she said. Toshiro searches her eyes for any clues that she lied, but he finds none. She is dead serious about this.

Toshiro swallows hard and give her a small nod in understanding, but the look he gives her says _'I'll take your word on that for now, but you still have to prove to me that you really mean them.' _She just smiles at his unspoken message.

"I will", is all she says before turning towards the TV again.

* * *

After another while of TV-watching, Toshiro got bored. Very bored. So he decides to go explore this apartment. What he doesn't know is that Rangiku is watching him curiously the whole time.

He walks into all of the rooms, trying to find out what kind of person the woman - _Matsumoto_ - is. From what he has found out so far, he deducts that she is normally cheerful, not so neat (or lazy) and that she loves to go shopping. Not as much as he had hoped for, considering the time it took to explore. However, the rooms are impersonal with no decorations or photographs, so Toshiro is happy to have found as much as he had.

When the whole apartment is explored, he returns to the living room and sits himself down behind the sofa, trying to find something else to occupy himself with.

However, Toshiro doesn't get very far on that thought as something dangles in front of his face. His instincts takes over and he starts to jump to catch his prey, aka a cat toy. As he catches it in his claws and bring it down to the ground, it escapes his grip and starts to run away on the floor. As the very skilled and dangerous predator he is, he wiggles his butt a few times before he charges after the prey.

Toshiro chases his prey around the living room before he tumbles forward, catches it and laying on his side, he starts to 'kill' it with his back paws. But when he bites into his 'prey', he realizes what he is doing. Embarrassed, he quickly sits up and starts to groom himself as if he hasn't just made a fool of himself, acting like a kitten.

Soft laughter is heard and he directs a heavy glare at Rangiku, who sits backwards on the sofa with a cat toy on a rod in one hand and an amused look on her face. As she sees that she is caught red-handed, she just laughs some more at his moody and slightly embarrassed look.

"That was fun, wasn't it?"

A pointed glare.

"Well, I don't know about you but I'm going to turn in for tonight.

Rangiku stands up and head for the now smaller pile of bags by the door. As she searches through one of them, Toshiro thinks:

_"When did the pile become so small? Hm, the exploration must have taken longer than I thought..."_

Rangiku lets out a small "Aha!" before standing up straight with a cat bed in hand.

"I'll put this in the bedroom, but it's up to you where you want to sleep. Either you come and sleep with me in the bed, on the cat bed or on the sofa, it's your choice."

She walks off to the bedroom and Toshiro lies himself down on the couch and closes his eyes.

_"Today has been interesting. Let's see what tomorrow brings."_

* * *

_To be continued..._

* * *

_Chapter 3 is finally done! I had some difficulty writing this chapter, for not only did I get stuck more than once, school has been breathing down my neck with group assignments and presentations. . Oh well, the chapter's out now._

_Many thanks to **CressidaRene** who has been throwing ideas and random questions at me!  
I appreciate your comments and opinions a lot, and you have helped me a great deal with small but important details in the plot. _

_Quick vocabulary, in case you missed something:_

_**Hybrid: **a species that looks half human and half animal. They possess supernatural power._

_**Neko: **a kind of hybrid that is half human, half cat (name means cat in Japanese)  
__**Koneko **is a Neko-child (kitten in Jap.)_

_**Dangai: **a center where Nekos and Konekos are kept and raised until they are purchased by a Master._

_**Neko Incitement: **like cockfighting or dog fighting, but with Nekos. I think the word is incitement..._

_**Ryoka: **a stray Neko, a Neko who doesn't have a Master and is living on the streets._

_**Hollow: **a bounty hunter who hunts Ryokas._

___Thank you for reading and if you have questions/opinions, feel free to review and/or PM me! Ideas are also welcome! :)_


	4. Chapter 4: Toshiro, the bacon thief!

When Rangiku comes into the living room the next morning, Toshiro is already awake and is busy grooming himself. Well, as good as he can with injuries and dirty fur anyways...

"Good morning, Mr. Cat!" she greets cheerfully.

Toshiro pauses mid-lick and gives a small "mrreow" in greeting and Rangiku's smile broadens.

"Are you hungry? Of course you are! Let's prepare some breakfast, ne?" she rambles as she makes her way into the kitchen. But before Toshiro can react, a hand is clasped around his stomach and he is lifted into the air.

_'What the-?! Hey, put me down this instant!'_ Toshiro exclaims loudly, but since Rangiku doesn't speak Cat, only a surprised and indignant "meow?!" is sounded and he is placed in Rangiku's arms as she carries him into the kitchen, laughing at him all the way.

In the kitchen, she puts Toshiro down on the counter before she starts to make some egg and bacon for herself. Said cat it not amused at all while his "catnapper" is humming a happy tune. With a huff, he sits down and mutters "crazy human females... They are going to be the dead of me..." under his breath.

* * *

After a while, delicious smells fills the kitchen and soon Rangiku has made herself her breakfast. She puts the plate down on the counter and turns around to get some eating essentials. She turns back around and put them down on the counter next to Toshiro, who sits beside the plate of bacon and eggs innocently. She turns around again to fetch a cup of coffee and turns back to the counter. But something is different.

_'I could have sworn I made more bacon than that'_, she thinks and casts a suspicious look in the cat's direction. However, said cat is still sitting calmly next to the plate, an innocent look on his face.

_'It must have been my imagination'_, she shrugs the matter off and once again turns her back to the counter.

When she turns back around, a bowl full of cat food in hand, she instantly freezes on the spot. There, on the counter, Toshiro is trying to steal a slice of bacon from her plate.

"And what do you think you're doing mister?!" she reprimands the cat and puts her hands on her hips in a threatening way.

Toshiro tenses, but then relax and turns towards the woman and gives her his best bored glare that said: _'What does it look like? I'm stealing your food. What'cha gonna do about it?'_

"You...! You...!" Rangiku doesn't even know what to say. The nerve of this cat!

_'Shit, she seems pretty angry. I'm going to be kicked out on the streets again, aren't I?' _Toshiro thinks gloomily and awaits the shouting that is sure to follow.

But he sure isn't prepared for what happens next.

Rangiku starts to laugh. A lot.

"Oh man! I like you even more. You got spunk, mister. And the look you gave me! Hahahaha!" she gasps out in between laughs and slaps her hand against her knee.

Toshiro however, the poor cat, is über confused, and he is staring at her like she lost her mind or something.

When the laughing has stilled and Rangiku can breathe properly and stand upright again, she wipes the tears from the corner of her eye. Then she turns serious.

"OK, let's get this straight. I'll let this slip this one time, since it was partly my fault for not giving you your food. But if you do it again, I'll have to punish you. Are we clear? "

Toshiro gulps a bit but nods nonetheless. A smile get past Rangiku's serious mask and she pets his head.

"I'm glad that we can agree. Oh, and here is your food... And here is the slice of bacon you tried to steal. You can have it since you've already gnawed on it", Rangiku says as she gives Toshiro his food. At least he has the courtesy to look sheepish.

* * *

Since that morning, Rangiku has tried to come up with a way to pay Toshiro back for stealing her food, but since she doesn't want to be seen as cruel and unforgiving, her tries are futile. She is sitting on the sofa watching TV and the cat she has yet to name sits beside her and is currently grooming himself.

Then a genius idea pops into her mind.

"Oh, Mr. Cat~!" she says in a sing-song voice.

Toshiro pauses and turns his head to look at her, a foreboding feeling that he is not going to like whatever comes next hits him.

"Let's take a look at those wounds of yours, ne? I mean, they must be _terribly_ itchy, so why not take a look~", she says with an innocent look on her face and before he knows it, he is for the second time today picked up without his consent.

Before Toshiro can start protest at being manhandled _again_, she has already made it to the bathroom and started to fill water in the tub. He manages to squirm his way out of her hold and is running towards his freedom.

Only to find his only escape route locked.

Now officially terrified, he slowly turns around to face his fate.

* * *

"It wasn't so bad now, was it? I mean, your wounds have been cleaned and your fur is white again. Heck, you don't even need bandages anymore! Admit it, it was nice~!" Rangiku says with a triumphant grin on her face as she brushes the seriously grumpy cat's fur as he lies on the sofa.

The only answer she gets is a cold glare and some grumbling, as he is hard pressed to stop himself from purring from the attention he gets.

_'Maybe this wasn't so bad after all. But I still thinks she did it in revenge...'_

* * *

_To be continued..._

* * *

_I'm so sorry for the delay, but life came knocking on the door demanding my attention. Some crazy shit have happened and on top on that, I'm currently in the middle of this semester's tests. To have two different courses in History one semester is bad enough, but when the tests are the days after each other... And that's not everything. Since I'm in the last year of High School, the final exams will start soon. Oh, joy._

_Anyway, here's the new chapter! A bit on the shorter side, but it's an update nonetheless. This chapter feels very filler-ish, but it's important that Toshiro and Rangiku get to know each other. And besides, who doesn't like a bit of humour?_

___Thank you for reading and if you have questions/opinions, feel free to review and/or PM me! Ideas are also welcome! :)_


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